FIG. 1 shows one example of a prior art bumper car. U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,301 (Eyerly) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,382 (Lamanna) teach two more examples of prior art bumper cars. In each of these prior art cars, the footwells, or surfaces on which a player's feet rest are above the mounting surface of the casters of the vehicle and also above the bumper of the vehicle. Specifically in FIG. 1, it can be seen that prior art bumper car 1 includes seat 2 mounted atop base 3, which includes surface 4 and driving means 6 to operate the car. Bumper 8 is secured about the base of the car, and is located below surface 4. The feet of the driver of the car rest on surface 4, which is quite clearly located above bumper 8 of the prior art bumper car. Shield 9 is included to protect the feet of the driver of the car.
It has been found that a new design is required to utilize bumper cars in uses beyond traditional carnival rides. Specifically, new games have been developed which involve teams of players, each riding a bumper car in a game arena. In one such game, one team attempts to score more points than the opposing team by utilizing hand-held scoops to pick up and throw a ball into a goal for the respective team, all while players are bumping each others' cars. The prior art bumper cars are arranged so that the surface on which a player's feet rest is above the bumper and the mounting surface for the casters of the bumper car. This promotes the use of smaller diameter casters, which results in noisier, less responsive vehicles which are not suited for such a game.
Players in prior art bumper cars are positioned too high with respect to the floor so that they can not easily scoop up balls which are on the floor. This is especially difficult if the ball is in front of the vehicle, as the player must lean forward over the front of the vehicle. In addition, the bumper car must be made larger to account for the higher center of gravity which makes the cars less maneuverable, which significantly slows down the pace of such a game.
Furthermore, prior art bumper cars and similar vehicles have casters and/or wheels at fixed heights because the cars are powered by current running through conductive strips of metal on the floor of the arena, and electrical contacts on the vehicles must always be in contact with the conductive floor in order to power the vehicle. For example, see the patents to Eyerly and Lamanna, cited above. This also results in the need for the floor to be perfectly flat, or else the electrical contacts on the car might stop touching the floor, causing the vehicle to lose power, become less responsive, or stop functioning altogether. Even if a bumper car were to use an onboard power supply, the use of casters at fixed heights would result in a very uncomfortable ride by a driver of the bumper car over uneven flooring.